THE MODERATOR: All right, here with Nelly Korda clubhouse leader at the moment after her first round at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship. Take us through the round today. I know this is a tricky golf course. How did you manage it out there?
NELLY KORDA: Yeah, started on the back nine. Made birdie on the first. Smashed my driver. Didn't even think water was in play and got up and I looked at Jason and I was like, nice. That was not what we were supposed to do.
Overall, played pretty well. I think I just had one bogey and one double, which you kind of -- if you try to be aggressive when you've hit it off line, it just bites you in the butt. So I did on that hole.
Overall, I think I played pretty well. I took my chances where I could and I played safe for the majority of the round.
Q. Were you trying to play really well today because you have a special visitor out there? I saw Jess and Greyson out. How great is it having him follow you around today?
NELLY KORDA: Oh, my gosh. It was so amazing. I didn't know if she would come up to the first tee, but just having him out there, I mean, I spent the majority of the afternoon with him yesterday, too. She flew in.
Just gives a different perspective. Like takes you away from your life. His giggles just give me so much happiness and just spending time with Jess and Greyson. She's always like, did people forget about me?
It was funny. She rolled up to the hotel yesterday and like all four of us were out there waiting to help her. She was like I feel like if it was just me no one would be out here and you guys would be like, oh, we'll meet you in the room, but because Greyson was out there were all waiting in front of the hotel for her.
But it's so nice to have them out here. I haven't seen her in a while. She came out early to support me on the first day, and I can't be more thankful.
Q. I heard you have helped Jess. Picked out Greyson's outfit.
NELLY KORDA: It was between a golf fit and a turtle fit. I loved the turtle fit.
Q. Shooting around the 60s out here, how much hard work does it feel like?
NELLY KORDA: Yeah. Not only is it hard and demanding off the tee, it's really hard with your second shots in. It's hard to take the opportunities when you can and be aggressive out here, because I feel like in the morning you can definitely be a little bit more aggressive with a majority of the pins being in the shade and a little softer.
But once the greens start to see a little bit more sunlight they start firm up a bit more and you have to play a little bit more defensive.
Yeah, I mean, any single time I can shoot under par in a major I think that's a positive. Hopefully that will just give me good momentum going into the next few days.
Q. Can you take us through the birdie run in the middle of the back nine there?
NELLY KORDA: Yeah, tell me the holes. (Laughter.)
It's so long ago.
Q. 13 -- yeah, 13...
NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I just hit the fairways honestly. That's the tough part about the golf course here. If you don't hit the fairway you don't get to be aggressive. You can't take your opportunities.
So hit really good drives and had shorter clubs in and was able to make some -- one was a shorter putt and then two were a little bit longer, yeah.
Q. When you and Jason are working out your strategy, are you usually on the same page or is he having to dial you back on some holes?
NELLY KORDA: It depends. Sometimes -- some weeks I get a little too reliant on him, let's say, where it comes to the decision that I want to make going into the greens.
This week we decided that he was just going to give me the number, he was going to tell me how far I should land it, and then I'm going to make my decision based off that so I'm a little bit more confident with it.
He's going to disagree or agree, but for the majority it was a lot of agreeing today, so it was good.
Q. Is there a stretch on this golf course that you feel like is the most important for you?
NELLY KORDA: No. I mean, there is a couple really long holes where it's really demanding off the tee. Then you also have a longer club in.
Overall, this entire golf course is so demanding. I had to make some pretty good up and downs as well where you're hitting -- you have to chip it out because you can't get it on to the green. You have overhanging trees.
You chip it out well and have probably 30, 40 yards to the green and you just have to make that up and down.
Overall I think the whole golf course is demanding. By the end of the week we're going to be really tired. You're going to have to put a lot of the thought into all your shots.
Q. Did Jamie have any specific words of wisdom for you on this week and this golf course?
NELLY KORDA: Just go out and play golf. Pretty simple.
Q. Obviously last two weeks probably weren't really what you wanted. You're a player that's really learned to stay unbothered. What's to the key to that mentally, just to be like, eh, it happens?
NELLY KORDA: Yeah, just to know I've gone through this a bunch of times. I haven't just gone through it, I've seen a bunch of different athletes go through it as well. My brother, sister. I've seen a lot of firsthand roller coasters happen in people's careers.
I just know that if you stay positive and in your own bubble, you can bounce back. You work hard, you know what you got inside of you, and you just got to go out and execute it.
Q. How have you learned to use that bubble? Today you had that -- you called it an oopsy in the middle of the round. How have you learned to get back in with your bubble?
NELLY KORDA: Staying present. You can't dwell on the past. You just have to focus 100% on what's right -- lying right in front of you.
That's just the attitude you have to have. You have to have short-term memory loss out here.
Q. Mindset heading into the next three rounds?
NELLY KORDA: Yeah, just stay in my bubble. Take it one shot at a time. See what it gives me.
This golf course is really hard enough, and you just -- even though you have a game plan and you're on the tee box, you see, visualize your shot, sometimes you're going to get a bad bounce or hit the shot the way you're visualizing.
You just got to adapt.
Q. How long will Greyson be here?
NELLY KORDA: A week. Happy Nelly. (Smiling.)
Q. The one double that you did have on 4, you got out to have a chance to pitch it up from short right there. Did you strike that the way you wanted to? How did that play out?
NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I actually hit that drive really good. I just turned it over a little too much. It's such a demanding hole visually for a drawer especially like myself with a tree on the right and all the trees on the left as well.
I pitched it out to about 50 yards, and it's just such a slow green. That whole green is in the shade. So that's what I was saying. I was like when these greens are in the shade the majority of the day they're really soft compared to the ones that are in the sun, have sun exposure and release a little bit more and get a little firmer.
Just misjudged it. Yeah, going to do that, so.
Q. When you know this tournament is around the corner on the schedule what do you look forward to most heading into a KPMG Championship?
NELLY KORDA: Just playing an amazing golf course in front of amazing crowds and playing another major championship.
